WIRING MODULE
A wiring module is attached to a plurality of power storage devices, electrode terminals of the plurality of power storage devices being arranged in two rows continuously in an aligning direction of the plurality of power storage devices, and the two rows of electrode terminals being separated from each other in a separation direction orthogonal to the aligning direction, the wiring module including: a single substrate that is flexible and has a plurality of first voltage detection lines and a plurality of second voltage detection lines on only one surface thereof, and a connector, the substrate includes: a first connection piece that includes ends on one side of the first voltage detection lines, a second connection piece that includes ends on one side of the second voltage detection lines, and a connector connection piece.
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The present disclosure relates to a wiring module.
BACKGROUND ARTA wiring module that is attached to a plurality of power storage devices is conventionally known. In the wiring module, a plurality of voltage detection lines are provided on a flexible substrate. The plurality of voltage detection lines are electrically connected to electrode terminals of the power storage devices. The plurality of voltage detection lines are connected to a device, and the voltages of the power storage devices are detected by the device. As such a wiring module, the wiring module disclosed in International Publication No. 2014/024452 (Patent Document 1 below) is known, for example.
CITATION LIST Patent DocumentsPatent Document 1: International Publication No. 2014/024452
SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical ProblemPositive and negative electrode terminals of each power storage device may be formed separated from each other at two end portions in the width direction of the power storage device. Furthermore, as a result of a plurality of power storage devices being connected in series or in parallel, the potentials of the electrode terminals may differ for each power storage device in a complicated manner. In such a case, in the wiring module attached to the plurality of power storage devices, voltage detection lines respectively connected to the electrode terminals may be aligned in an order that is different from the order of the potentials of the electrode terminals connected to the voltage detection lines (see FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1).
On the other hand, there are cases where, inside the device that detects the voltages of the power storage device, the terminals of a circuit or a microcomputer for detecting the voltages are formed in the order of potential. In view of this, it is conceivable to rearrange, in the order of potential, the voltage detection lines that are arranged irrespective of potential.
It is conceivable to use jumper wires in order to arrange, on a flexible substrate, voltage detection lines in the order of potential, for example. However, this technique increases the number of components and wiring complexity, and may thus increase the manufacturing cost of the wiring-module.
Solution to ProblemA wiring module according to the present disclosure is a wiring module that is attached to a plurality of power storage devices, electrode terminals of the plurality of power storage devices being arranged in two rows continuously in an aligning direction of the plurality of power storage devices, and the two rows of electrode terminals being separated from each other in a separation direction that is orthogonal to the aligning direction, the wiring module including: a single substrate that is flexible and has a plurality of first voltage detection lines and a plurality of second voltage detection lines on only one surface thereof, and a connector, the substrate includes: a first connection piece that includes ends on one side of the first voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to electrode terminals that form one row of the two rows of electrode terminals, a second connection piece that includes ends on one side of the second voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to electrode terminals that form the other row of the two rows, and a connector connection piece that includes ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines and ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to the connector, and is disposed between the first connection piece and the second connection piece, the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines are aligned in the separation direction in an order of potentials of the electrode terminals electrically connected thereto via the first voltage detection lines, the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines are aligned in the separation direction in an order of potentials of the electrode terminals electrically connected thereto via the second voltage detection lines, either the plurality of first voltage detection lines or the plurality of second voltage detection lines are folded once on the connector connection piece, and the first voltage detection lines and the second voltage detection lines are connected to the connector from the same side in the aligning direction.
Advantageous Effects of InventionAccording to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wiring module in which voltage detection lines are arranged in the order of potential, at a low cost.
First, aspects of the present disclosure will be listed and described.
(1) A wiring module according to the present disclosure is a wiring module that is attached to a plurality of power storage devices, electrode terminals of the plurality of power storage devices being arranged in two rows continuously in an aligning direction of the plurality of power storage devices, and the two rows of electrode terminals being separated from each other in a separation direction that is orthogonal to the aligning direction, the wiring module including: a single substrate that is flexible and has a plurality of first voltage detection lines and a plurality of second voltage detection lines on only one surface thereof, and a connector, the substrate includes: a first connection piece that includes ends on one side of the first voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to electrode terminals that form one row of the two rows of electrode terminals, a second connection piece that includes ends on one side of the second voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to electrode terminals that form the other row of the two rows, and a connector connection piece that includes ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines and ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to the connector, and is disposed between the first connection piece and the second connection piece, the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines are aligned in the separation direction in an order of potentials of the electrode terminals electrically connected thereto via the first voltage detection lines, the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines are aligned in the separation direction in an order of potentials of the electrode terminals electrically connected thereto via the second voltage detection lines, either the plurality of first voltage detection lines or the plurality of second voltage detection lines are folded once on the connector connection piece, and the first voltage detection lines and the second voltage detection lines are connected to the connector from the same side in the aligning direction.
With such a configuration, since the substrate has the plurality of first voltage detection lines and the plurality of second voltage detection lines on only one surface thereof, a flexible substrate that has conductive paths formed on only one surface thereof can be used as the substrate, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the wiring module. On the connector connection piece, either the plurality of first voltage detection lines or the plurality of second voltage detection lines are folded once, and thus the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines and the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines can be aligned in the separation direction in the order of potentials of the electrode terminals to which the first voltage detection lines and the second voltage detection lines are respectively connected.
(2) At least one of the first connection piece and the second connection piece may be folded once or more.
(3) The first connection piece and the second connection piece may be folded the same number of times.
With such a configuration, there are cases where the shape of the substrate can be easily controlled while suppressing the manufacturing cost of the substrate.
(4) Preferably, the surface of the substrate on which the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines are disposed and the surface of the substrate on which the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines are disposed face each other.
With such a configuration, the substrate can be easily mounted to the connector.
(5) Preferably, the connector includes first terminals that are respectively connected to the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines and second terminals that are respectively connected to the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines, the first terminals are aligned in a row in the separation direction, and the second terminals are disposed at positions different from the first terminals in a direction orthogonal to the aligning direction and the separation direction, and are aligned in a row in the separation direction.
With such a configuration, the size of the connector can be reduced in the separation direction.
(6) Preferably, the connector includes first terminals that are connected to the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines, and second terminals that are connected to the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection line, the first terminals and the second terminals are aligned in a row in the separation direction, and the first terminals and the second terminals are alternately disposed in the separation direction, and are aligned in an order of potential.
With such a configuration, the size of the connector can be reduced in a direction orthogonal to the aligning direction and the separation direction.
(7) Preferably, the wiring module includes a protector that protects the substrate.
With such a configuration, it is possible to protect the substrate.
Details of Embodiments of Present DisclosureEmbodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims and intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.
First EmbodimentA first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
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The connection bus bars 13 and the output bus bars 14 are obtained by pressing metal plates into predetermined shapes. A suitable metal such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy can be appropriately selected as the metal used to form the metal plates. An unshown plating layer may be formed on the surfaces of the connection bus bars 13 and the output bus bars 14. A suitable metal such as tin, nickel, or solder can be selected as the metal for forming the plating layer.
As shown in
The electrode terminals 12 can be electrically connected to the output bus bars 14 and the connection bus bars 13 by employing a known technique such as soldering, welding, or bolting.
In
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The power storage module 10 is connected to an external ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or the like (not shown) via a connector 37. The ECU has a microcomputer, devices, and the like mounted therein, and has a known configuration including functions for detecting the voltage, the current, the temperature, and the like of each power storage device 11, charge/discharge control of the power storage devices 11, and the like.
Wiring ModuleAs shown in
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The first fold portion 30A, the second fold portion 30B, and the third fold portion 30C of the substrate 21 will be described below, after which the arrangement of the plurality of first voltage detection lines 23 and the plurality of second voltage detection lines 24 will be described.
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In addition, positions at which the first terminals 38 and the second terminals 39 are disposed in the left-right direction may be aligned (not illustrated) unlike the arrangement in
According to the first embodiment, the following operations and effects are achieved.
The wiring module 20 according to the first embodiment is a wiring module 20 that is attached to the plurality of power storage devices 11, the electrode terminals 12 of the plurality of power storage devices 11 being arranged in two rows continuously in the front-rear direction, and the two rows of electrode terminals 12 being separated from each other in the left-right direction, the wiring module 20 including: the single substrate 21 that is flexible and has the plurality of first voltage detection lines 23 and the plurality of second voltage detection lines 24 on only one surface thereof, and the connector 37, the substrate 21 includes: the first connection piece 25 that includes the ends 23A on the one side of the first voltage detection lines 23 that are electrically connected to the first electrode terminals 12A that form one row of the two rows of electrode terminals 12, the second connection piece 26 that includes the ends 24A on the one side of the second voltage detection lines 24 that are electrically connected to the second electrode terminals 12B that form the other row of the two rows, and the connector connection piece 27 that includes the ends 23B on the other side of the first voltage detection lines 23 and the ends 24B on the other side of the second voltage detection lines 24 that are electrically connected to the connector 37, and is disposed between the first connection piece 25 and the second connection piece 26, the ends 23B on the other side of the first voltage detection lines 23 are aligned in the left-right direction in the order of potentials of the first electrode terminals 12A electrically connected thereto via the first voltage detection lines 23, the ends 24B on the other side of the second voltage detection lines 24 are aligned in the left-right direction in the order of potentials of the second electrode terminals 12B electrically connected thereto via the second voltage detection lines 24, the plurality of second voltage detection lines 24 are folded once on the connector connection piece 27, and the first voltage detection lines 23 and the second voltage detection lines 24 are connected to the connector 37 from the rear side.
According to the above configuration, the substrate 21 includes the plurality of first voltage detection lines 23 and the plurality of second voltage detection lines 24 on only one surface thereof, and thus, a flexible substrate that has conductive paths formed only on one surface thereof (flexible printed substrate) can be used as the substrate 21, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the wiring module 20. On the connector connection piece 27, the plurality of second voltage detection lines 24 are folded once, and thus the ends 23B on the other side of the first voltage detection lines 23 and the ends 24B on the other side of the second voltage detection lines 24 can be aligned in the left-right direction in the order of potentials of the electrode terminals 12 to which the first voltage detection lines 23 and the second voltage detection lines 24 are respectively connected.
In the first embodiment, both the first connection piece 25 and the second connection piece 26 are folded once (except for the folding of the substrate 21 along the temperature measuring piece fold portions 36A and 36B).
The substrate 21 of the wiring module 20 includes the first connection piece 25 and the second connection piece 26 that extend rearward from the connector connection piece 27 and are disposed separated from each other in the left-right direction, and has a shape with many irregularities overall. Assuming that the first connection piece and the second connection piece are configured without the first fold portion and the second fold portion respectively, the number of substrates having many irregularities that are obtained from a standard-size substrate through punchcutting is small. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, both the first connection piece 25 and the second connection piece 26 of the wiring module 20 are folded once. In addition, the substrate 21 in a state of not being folded (see
In the first embodiment, the surface of the substrate 21 on which the ends 23B on the other side of the first voltage detection lines 23 are disposed and the surface of the substrate 21 on which the ends 24B on the other side of the second voltage detection lines 24 are disposed face each other.
According to the above configuration, the substrate 21 can be easily mounted to the connector 37.
In the first embodiment, the connector 37 includes the first terminals 38 that are connected to the ends 23B on the other side of the first voltage detection lines 23, and the second terminals 39 that are connected to the ends 24B on the other side of the second voltage detection lines 24, and the first terminals 38 are aligned in a row in the left-right direction, and the second terminals 39 are disposed at different positions from the first terminal 38 in the up-down direction, and are aligned in a row in the left-right direction.
According to the above configuration, the size of the connector 37 can be reduced in the left-right direction.
Second EmbodimentA second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
As shown in
According to the second embodiment, the following operations and effects are achieved.
In the second embodiment, the connector 137 includes the first terminals 38 that are connected to the ends 23B on the other side of the first voltage detection lines 23 and the second terminals 39 that are connected to the ends 24B on the other side of the second voltage detection lines 24, the first terminals 38 and the second terminals 39 are aligned in a row in the left-right direction, and the first terminals 38 and the second terminals 39 are disposed alternately in the left-right direction, and are aligned in the order of potential.
According to the above configuration, the size of the connector 137 can be reduced in the up-down direction.
Third EmbodimentA third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
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The wiring module 120 includes the protector 50, and thus members thereof can be protected. In the configuration according to the first embodiment in which no protector 50 is provided, as shown in
According to the third embodiment, the following operations and effects are achieved.
The wiring module 120 according to the third embodiment includes the protector 50 that protects the substrate 21.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to protect the substrate 21.
Other Embodiments(1) In the above embodiments, the first terminals 38 and the second terminals 39 are female terminals, but there is no limitation thereto, and the first terminals and the second terminals may be male terminals.
(2) In the above embodiments, both the first connection piece 25 and the second connection piece 26 are folded, but there is no limitation thereto, and at least one of the first connection piece and second connection piece does not need to be folded.
(3) In the above embodiments, the surface of the first protruding piece 28 on which the ends 23B on the other side of the first voltage detection lines 23 are disposed (the surface 21A on the first protruding piece 28) and the surface of the second protruding piece 29 on which the ends 24B on the other side of the second voltage detection lines 24 are disposed (the surface 21A on the second protruding piece 29) face each other, but there is no limitation thereto, and the back surface of the first protruding piece and the back surface of the second protruding piece may face each other.
(4) In the above embodiments, the thermistor circuits 31 are provided, but there is no limitation thereto, and no thermistor circuits need to be provided.
(5) In the above embodiments, the connectors 37 and 137 have a configuration in which the separate upper housing 43, the intermediate housing 44, the lower housing 45, the first protruding piece 28 to which the first terminals 38 are connected, and the second protruding piece 29 to which the second terminals 39 are connected are attached to one another in a layered manner, but there is no limitation thereto. A configuration may also be adopted in which, for example, first terminals and second terminals are attached to an integrated housing to configure a connector, and the connector is then mounted to a first protruding piece and a second protruding piece.
(6) In the above embodiments, no reinforcing plate is attached to the opposite surface to the surface of the first protruding piece 28 to which the first terminals 38 are connected (the back surface 21B on the first protruding piece 28) and the opposite surface to the surface of the second protruding piece 29 to which the second terminals 39 are connected (the back surface 21B on the second protruding piece 29), but there is no limitation thereto, and reinforcing plates may be attached to the back surface on the first protruding piece and the back surface on the second protruding piece.
(7) In the above embodiments, the substrate 21 is a flexible printed substrate, but there is no limitation thereto, and the substrate may be a flexible flat cable.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
-
- 10, 110: Power storage module
- 11: Power storage device
- 12: Electrode terminal
- 12A: First electrode terminal
- 12B: Second electrode terminal
- 13: Connection bus bar
- 14: Output bus bar
- 15: Metal piece
- 20, 120: Wiring module
- 21: Substrate
- 21A: Surface
- 21B: Back surface
- 22: Extended portion
- 23: First voltage detection line
- 23A: End on one side
- 23B: End on other side
- 24: Second voltage detection line
- 24A: End on one side
- 24B: End on other side
- 25: First connection piece
- 26: Second connection piece
- 27: Connector connection piece
- 28: First protruding piece
- 29: Second protruding piece
- 30A: First fold portion
- 30B: Second fold portion
- 30C: Third fold portion
- 31: Thermistor circuit
- 31A: End on one side
- 31B: End on other side
- 32: Thermistor
- 33: Ground conductive path
- 34: Temperature measuring conductive path
- 35: Temperature measuring piece
- 36A, 36B: Temperature measuring piece fold portion
- 37, 137: Connector
- 38: First terminal
- 39: Second terminal
- 40: Tubular connection portion
- 41: Substrate connection portion
- 42: Housing
- 43: Upper housing
- 44: Intermediate housing
- 45: Lower housing
- 50: Protector
Claims
1. A wiring module that is attached to a plurality of power storage devices, electrode terminals of the plurality of power storage devices being arranged in two rows continuously in an aligning direction of the plurality of power storage devices, and the two rows of electrode terminals being separated from each other in a separation direction that is orthogonal to the aligning direction, the wiring module comprising:
- a single substrate that is flexible and has a plurality of first voltage detection lines and a plurality of second voltage detection lines on only one surface thereof; and
- a connector,
- wherein the substrate includes: a first connection piece that includes ends on one side of the first voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to electrode terminals that form one row of the two rows of electrode terminals, a second connection piece that includes ends on one side of the second voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to electrode terminals that form the other row of the two rows, and a connector connection piece that includes ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines and ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines that are electrically connected to the connector, and is disposed between the first connection piece and the second connection piece,
- the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines are aligned in the separation direction in an order of potentials of the electrode terminals electrically connected thereto via the first voltage detection lines,
- the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines are aligned in the separation direction in an order of potentials of the electrode terminals electrically connected thereto via the second voltage detection lines,
- either the plurality of first voltage detection lines or the plurality of second voltage detection lines are folded once on the connector connection piece, and
- the first voltage detection lines and the second voltage detection lines are connected to the connector from the same side in the aligning direction.
2. The wiring module according to claim 1,
- wherein at least one of the first connection piece and the second connection piece is folded once or more.
3. The wiring module according to claim 2,
- wherein the first connection piece and the second connection piece are folded the same number of times.
4. The wiring module according to claim 1,
- wherein the surface of the substrate on which the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines are disposed and the surface of the substrate on which the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines are disposed face each other.
5. The wiring module according to claim 1,
- wherein the connector includes first terminals that are respectively connected to the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines and second terminals that are respectively connected to the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines,
- the first terminals are aligned in a row in the separation direction, and
- the second terminals are disposed at positions different from the first terminals in a direction orthogonal to the aligning direction and the separation direction, and are aligned in a row in the separation direction.
6. The wiring module according to claim 1,
- wherein the connector includes first terminals that are connected to the ends on the other side of the first voltage detection lines, and second terminals that are connected to the ends on the other side of the second voltage detection lines,
- the first terminals and the second terminals are aligned in a row in the separation direction, and
- the first terminals and the second terminals are alternately disposed in the separation direction, and are aligned in an order of potential.
7. The wiring module according to claim 1, further comprising
- a protector that protects the substrate.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 28, 2022
Publication Date: May 23, 2024
Applicants: AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD. (Mie), SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD. (Mie), SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD. (Osaka)
Inventors: Nobuyuki MATSUMURA (Osaka), Shinichi TAKASE (Osaka)
Application Number: 18/279,294